Telecommunication carriers are required by government regulations to provide emergency calling services to their customers. In the United States and Canada, 9-1-1 is the official emergency phone number that callers can dial in order to reach dispatch personnel at public safety answering points (PSAP). When a caller dials 911 from a telephone, the call is routed by a carrier to receiving equipment at a PSAP facility. A dispatcher at the facility answers the call and assists the caller with their emergency.
Often times, dispatchers must dispatch response personnel to the scene of an emergency to render assistance to callers or others involved in the emergency. In the past, dispatchers had to ask a caller for their location. Over time, most telecommunication carriers developed the capability to automatically determine the location of landline callers. For instance, landline callers can be located based on their phone number.
Most carriers have also implemented solutions for determining the location of mobile callers. Wireless carriers have employed several different solutions to locate callers in need of emergency service, such as the carrier's network providing, to the PSAP, the location of the cell tower servicing a call. In another example, wireless carriers may employ triangulation techniques to pinpoint the location of a caller. In yet another example, mobile devices with global position system (GPS) capability may provide their GPS coordinates to the carrier. The carrier in turn, provides these coordinates to the PSAP.
Overview
A method of operating a communication system is disclosed. A wireless device identifier, and an access point identifier, are associated with location information that identifies a location associated with a network access point that is associated with the access point identifier. Call signaling information requesting a call to an emergency service is received from a wireless device connected wirelessly to the network access point via a wireless network connection. The access point identifier is received from the wireless device. Based on the access point identifier, and the wireless device identifier, the location information is retrieved. The location information is transferred to an emergency service system. The call for the emergency service is established to the emergency service system.
A communication system is disclosed. A call processing system is configured to associate a wireless device identifier and an access point identifier with location information that identifies a location associated with a network access point that is associated with the access point identifier. The call processing system is also configured to receive call signaling information requesting a call to an emergency service from a wireless device connected wirelessly to the network access point via a wireless network connection. The call processing system is also configured to receive the access point identifier from the wireless device and retrieve the location information based on the access point identifier and the wireless device identifier. A communication network establishes the call for the emergency service to the emergency service system. An emergency call service system receives the location information.
A method of operating a mobile wireless device is disclosed. An access point identifier is received. A network access point associated with the access point identifier is connecting with wirelessly. A request to establish a call to an emergency service via a wireless network connection associated with the network access point is received. Call signaling information requesting the call to an emergency service is sent. The access point identifier is sent in association with the call signaling information requesting the call to the emergency service. The call for the emergency service is established to an emergency service system.